


Confessional

by unsernameinuse



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Gen, Love Confessions, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-15 03:00:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12312507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unsernameinuse/pseuds/unsernameinuse
Summary: The truth will set you free...maybe.





	Confessional

"Oh my god, Juggie…”

“What?” he didn’t quite snap, but it was clear he did not want to hear the end of Veronica’s sentence.

That didn't stop her. “You like Archie, don’t you?”

Kevin threw his head back and his hands up. “Is _everyone_ in this town in love with Andrews?” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, I get the hype. But Betty, Cheryl, even you V. And now you too?”

Jughead kept his eyes glued to his screen.

“Jug?”

“I’ve got work to do for the blue and gold.” he said. Before either Kevin or Veronica could point out that he did ALL of his work at Pop’s, always, he had thrown back the last of his coffee, scooped up his things, and all but flown out the door.

***

He spent the next six hours wandering around town with his music blasting, cursing Veronica Lodge and himself. Her, for her inability to leave well enough alone, and him, for his inability to kick her words out of his head. 

However loud his music was, her knowing tone was louder.

He walked until he couldn't ignore it anymore.

 

***

“Jug?” Archie blinked - as much as he could, at least, with sleep still caked in his eyes.

He was the last person Archie expected - or wanted - to see. He didn't care. He brushed past his friend and into the house, heading straight for the refrigerator.

“Sup, Arch," he said over his shoulder. After a long moment he heard, over the sound of his own unauthorized rummaging, the sound of the front door clicking shut.

 

“Uhh, hey,” Archie said back, finally. He stared openly as Jughead dumped his findings on the kitchen table, clearly waiting for an explanation that he should have known , by now, better than to expect.

“Nice boxers.” Jughead said as he began to pile ham on top of turkey on top of Swiss. Archie glanced down, then rolled his eyes. They were a relic of the time before his boxer briefs, a time when they had stayed up watching movies on VHS instead of avoiding each other's eyes because of fights and secrets. White boxers,  big red hearts. A Valentine's Day gag gift from back when they were each other's only valentines.

“It's five in the morning.”

“I know what time it is.” His tone wasn't unpleasant, but it held the warning of such on the horizon. Archie backed down. They both watched in silence as Jughead built a leaning tower of a sand which. It wasn't a burger, but it would do.

Wordlessly, Archie pulled the bag of  bread toward him and stole some of Judhead's cheese. They made their sandwiches in silence, falling quickly into an old, easy rhythm. Archie grabbed lawn chairs and Jughead grabbed a liter of cola. They silently followed the well worn path from the kitchen to the back yard.

They settled on their chairs in the dark grass; Archie apparently having no need for more covering than his boxes and t shirt, though Jughead had his jacket pulled almost as close as his food. They faced the sky where the sun would rise soon, eating and chatting idly about nothing. Well, nothing for them. Memories, inside jokes, Jugheads ramblings about movies, Archie's ramblings about sports, mutual rambling about music and video games. A few times in the lulls Jughead heard Archie draw breath to speak but then close his mouth and softly exhale.

Jughead was glad. They both knew that the more questions were asked, the more difficult it would be for him to finally talk about the truth.

“So this is probably like the third time you've heard this this semester,” he said as the sky began to turn pastel. “And I'm saying it because I want to and not because I want any kind of reaction or action or attention."

"Um-"

"And I'd be surprised if you didn't already know but I feel like I have to say it, so. I love you. Not as more than a friend just as something...other than.”

Silence.

Then:

“Jug, I-”

“Unless you're about to say something I don't already know about our friendship and your sexuality, I’d actually much rather you didn't.” Jughead was outwardly calm, leaning all the way back in his lawn chair with his eyes on the changing sky, but inside he was trembling.

Archie slid his foot over to bump against his and he felt his insides calm just a little.

They stayed there as the sun rose, in silence and total understanding.


End file.
